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Units of Study in Reading, Grades 6-8

The Units of Study in Reading help teachers provide their students with instruction, opportunities for practice, and concrete doable goals that enable students to meet and exceed any set of high standards. It is an understatement to say these units have been piloted many times. The teaching in these books has been planned, taught, revised, and retaught, through a continual cycle of improvement involving literally thousands of classrooms in schools dotting the globe.

Units of Study

In order to provide the greatest flexibility for middle school classrooms, the Units are all sold separately. You may choose a different sequence based on your school’s curricular needs. Keep in mind, however, that there is a layering of complexity across the units that you will want to consider as you plan.

Each reading unit represents about five to six weeks of teaching, structured into three or four “bends in the road.” Rather than tackling the entire journey all at once, it’s easier to embark on this series of shorter, focused bends, pausing between each to regroup and prepare for the next.

Middle School Units of Study in Reading:

A Deep Study of Character

Tapping the Power of Nonfiction

Social Issues Book Clubs

Investigating Characterization: Author Studies

Essential Research Skills for Teens

Historical Fiction Book Clubs

Dystopian Book Clubs

Literary Nonfiction

Critical Literacy: Unlocking Contemporary Fiction

A Guide to the Reading Workshop 

An overview of the essential routines of a reading workshop that describes the writing development of the four core genres. This resource also guides teachers in establishing a classroom environment that cultivates engaged and independent readers.

Trade Book Pack

Includes grade-level appropriate books that teachers use as mentor texts to model the skills and strategies they want students to try. 

Online Resources

Provide digital access to all the printed books in the core Units of Study set (Units, Guide, etc.), along with a rich array of resources to support each unit. These resources include downloadable versions of charts, handouts, book lists, exemplar texts, supports for Spanish-speaking students, and more, all arranged session-by-session to streamline each day’s preparation.

Want to learn more about our services?

Get in touch to discuss ways to partner with RWP-M. Not a Units of Study user? We have many curriculum agnostic resources and specialists that can tailor to your needs.